Central Indiana Goodwill CEO to Retire
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowGoodwill Industries of Central Indiana Inc. Chief Executive Officer James McClelland is planning to retire next year. He has held the position for the last 40 years and is only the third CEO for the organization since 1934. August 7, 2014
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – James M. McClelland, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central
Indiana, Inc. since 1974, will step down from that position June 30, 2015. He announced
his intention to the Goodwill Board of Directors today.
“Jim's only the third CEO for Goodwill since 1934 and he’s done an amazing job,”
said Darrell E. (“Gene”) Zink, board chairman. “In my many years working with not-forprofit
organizations, Jim is among the very best. He has been passionate about the
mission of Goodwill, an outstanding leader, an outstanding entrepreneur, and a man with
a truly good heart for the people Goodwill serves and his associates. You don't replace a
leader like Jim McClelland, but the board will undertake a national search to find the next
great leader for Goodwill.”
During the last five years Goodwill has added more than 1,000 jobs, increasing
total employment to over 3,100 in central Indiana. Two-thirds of Goodwill's employees
have limited options because of a disability, criminal history, lack of a high school diploma,
or other significant barrier.
In 2010 Goodwill created a unique high school, The Excel Center, for adults who
lack a high school diploma. To meet the strong demand, Excel Centers have been
opened in nine central Indiana locations with a total enrollment of nearly 3,000 students.
The Excel Center model is attracting attention nationally, and the first Excel Center
outside of Indiana opens this month in Austin, TX under a licensing arrangement.
Organizations in 12 other states have expressed an interest in developing Excel Centers
in their communities.
In addition, in 2011 Goodwill attracted to Indiana a nationally recognized program
for first-time moms in low income households, Nurse-Family Partnership, and is operating
it successfully in Marion County. Goodwill's 31 registered nurses are working with more
than 600 mothers, expectant mothers, and over 500 babies born to date.
“Greater than any single accomplishment is the way and extent to which the
Goodwill team is now able to link individuals and families with education, employment,
health, and other services a family might need – whether those services are provided by
Goodwill or other organizations in the community,” McClelland noted. “This approach
helps make more effective use of existing community resources in focused ways that have
potential to reduce generational poverty and the array of social problems that are
associated with it.”
McClelland is a native of Florida and began his Goodwill career in Houston in
1970. When he joined the Indianapolis-based Goodwill, the organization had 558
employees, eight retail stores, and revenues of less than $3 million. Today, Goodwill has over 3,100 employees, 55 retail stores, 10 commercial services sites, 10 charter high schools with a total of 3,200 students, and revenues of $130 million. McClelland states that even in such a complex organization and with a wealth of talented staff, total general and administrative expenditures are only 10 percent of operating revenue, a smaller percentage than when he became CEO.
A committee led by former Goodwill board chairman, Owen B. (“Bud”) Melton, Jr., that includes four other past board chairs, among others, will conduct the search for McClelland's successor.
Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Inc. is a social enterprise serving 29 central Indiana counties and employing more than 3,000 Hoosiers. Goodwill’s approach links value-added resources that include access to education, employment and health services that many families need to begin breaking the cycle of poverty. Revenue from the sale of donations stays local, supporting jobs as well as other education and employment services for thousands of Hoosiers.
Source: Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana Inc.